Mail-bag catcher.



No. 756,498. PATENTED APR. 5, 1904.

W. A. HORRALL.

MAIL BAG GATGHER.

` APPLIGATION FILED JAN. 14, 1904. No MODEL. z' SHEETS-sum1* 1.

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UNITED STATES Patented April 5, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. HORRALL, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR, OF ONE- HALF TOCHARLES M. HAMMOND AND JOHN B. PASQUIER, OF INDI- ANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

MAIL-BAG CATCHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 756,498, dated April 5,1904;.

Application iled January 14, 1904. Serial No. 189,038. (No model.)

T cir/ZZ wiz/0777] it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. HORRALL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Indian'- apolis, in the county of Marion and State ofIndiana, have invented a new and useful Mail-Bag Catcher, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to mail-bag catching and delivering devices such asare employed for transferring mail to and from mail-cars and stationsalong the line of the railroad,

and has for its objects to produce a comparatively simple inexpensivedevice of this character which will efficiently perform its functionsand one in which the track-frame may when desired be readily swung to anunobstructing position.

With these and other objects in v-iew` the invention comprises the novelfeatures of construction and combination of parts more fully hereinafterdescribed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view showing myimproved device complete and illustrating the position of the parts whenin the act of transferring the mail. Fig.2 is a top sectional plan of aportion of a car, showing the bag receiving and delivering members infolded position. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 4 is adetail perspective view.

Referring to the drawings,1 designates my improved crane in the form ofavertical post or standard attached at its lower end to and sustained bya base 2 adjacent to the line of the railroad, said standard beingcomposed of a lower primary section 3 and an upper secondary section 4,hinged or otherwise pivoted to the primary section, as at 5, and adaptedto be secured in operative position by means of a pivoted latch 6.

Attached to the upper end of the standard 1 is a horizontalbag-sustaining arm 7, projecting outward toward the railway and havingat its outer-end oppositely-extending bag-receiving members or lingers8, while projecting outward from the front face of the standard at apoint beneath and suitably remote l from the arm 7 is a'sto'p orabutment 9, preferably of the form herein shown.

Attached to one end of the base 2 adjacent to the standard 1 is areceptacle 10, preferably composed of sheet metal, this receptacle.

being designed in practice to receive the Inailbags delivered from apassingcar, as hereinafter explained.

The mail-car 11 conventionally shown herein is provided through its sidewall with the usual doorway 12, to the frame 'oi'.which at one side andadjacent to its upper end there is attached a vertically-disposedbracket 13,

having at its opposite ends suitable horizontal ears, between whichthere is pivoted on a vertical bolt or pintle 14 a bag-catching member15, preferably inthe form of a latticework frame of the form hereinshown and adapted to extend across the upper portion of the doorway uponthe outer side of the latter. This member or frame, which in practicemay be swung on its pivot from closed to open position, may be securedin its closed or inactive position by meansof a latch 16, pivoted to thedoor-frame or maintained in its open active position by means of aslotted guide-plate 17, pivoted at its outer end to the frame by meansof a rod or pintle 18 and engagedv at its inner end by a turn-button 19,extending through the slot 20 in the plate. In practice the plate 17,which is preferably composed of spring metal, serves to limit theoutward swinging of the frame and to sustain the shocks incident to thereceiving of a bag by thelatter and may be locked against movement bymeans of the turn-button for fixing the frame in its receiving position.

Extending horizontally across the doorway 12, directly beneath thebag-catching member 15 and journaled at its ends in suitable bearings21, is a bag-delivering member or frame 22, preferably of the formherein shown and adapted to swing upward on its pivot to constitute ahorizontal outwardly-extending bag-supporting platform disposed directlybeneath the frame 15. This member 22,

which is provided at its outer end with a bagretaining shield or flange23, is designed to be locked in its active or bag-sustaining position bymeans of a latching and tripping member or lever 24, pivoted to abearing 25, provided upon the lower outer end of the frame 15. Thislever has an angularly-bent inwardly-projecting finger 25, which engagesthe forward outer corner of the frame 22, and a horizontal arm 26, whichin practice extends into the path of the stop or abutment 9, the lever24: being maintained in active position by a spring 27.

In operation, supposing the parts to be in the position illustrated inFig. 1, with the receiving and delivering frames locked in activeposition, and the car to be advancing in the direction indicated by thearrow, the outer end of the arm or lever 26 will come into lcontact withthe abutment 9, thereby releasing the frame 22 and causing the deliveryof the mail-bag therefrom into the receptacle 10. Simultaneouslywith thedelivery of the bag by frame 22 a bag suspended from arm 7 will strikeupon the inner face ofv frame 15 and be deflected by the 'latter throughthe doorway 12 and into the car. After the car has passed the stationthe frame 15 is swung inward to closed position and secured by the latch16, while the latch 6 is manipulated for releasing` section .4 of thestandard, thereby permitting said section to be turned or foldedbackwardl to an inoperative unob'structing position.

From the foregoing it is apparent that I produce a simple inexpensivedevice which in practice will admirably perform its functions to theattainment of the ends in view;l but it is to be understood that I donot' limit myself to the precise details herein set forth, inasmuch asminor changes may be made without departing from the spirit of theinvention. y

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is-f c 1. In adevice of the class described, the combination with a car and itsdoorway, of a bagcatching member pivoted adjacent to the latter to swingin a horizontal plane, a slotted guide-plate connected with the member,and a locking device engaging the guide-plate for securing the latteragainst movement.,

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with a car andits doorway, of a bagcatching member pivoted adjacent to the latter toswing in a horizontal plane, a pivoted bag-delivering member adapted toswing to a position beneath the catching member, and a latching devicecarried by one of the parts for engagement with the other.

3. In a device of ythe class described, the combination with a car andits doorway, of a bagcatching member pivoted adjacent to the latter toswing in a horizontal plane, a verticallyswinging bag-delivering memberpivoted beneath the catching member, a latching member carried by one ofthe parts forengaging the other, and an abutment sustained adjacent tothe railway for operating the latching-lever.

11. In adevice of the class described, the combination with a car andits doorway, of a bagcatching member pivoted adjacent to the latter toswing in a horizontal plane, means for limiting the outward movement ofsaid member, a vertically swinging bag delivering member pivoted beneaththe catching member, a latching-lever Carried by one of the parts forengaging the other, and an abutment sustained adjacent to the railwayfor operating the latching-lever.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination with a standardcomprising a pair of pivoted sections, of a bag-supporting arm carriedby the upper section, said section being adapted to fold backward uponthe lower section, and means for locking the sections in operativeposition.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afliXedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM A, HORRALL,

Witnesses:

CHARLES PASQUIER, J osEPH BALsLEY.

